The Effects of Trauma

The effects of being traumatized are very individual, and people who have experienced trauma are impacted physically, emotionally, behaviourally, cognitively, spiritually, neurobiologically and relationally.

Trauma can result in:

Changes to the brain

Compromised immune systems

Increased physical and mental stress

Decreased trust

Attachment difficulties and conflictual relationships

Hyperarousal and hypervigilance

Rigid or chaotic behaviour

Service providers most often see hyperarousal and hypervigilance, but it may not relate back to trauma and could be misinterpreted. This misinterpretation or misunderstanding of behaviour, and failing to recognize fight, flight and freeze responses, can contribute to judgmental behaviour on the part of service provider, and lead to the development of conflict or adversarial relationships. It is important to remember that trauma impacts the manner in which a person does or does not approach helping relationships and their interactions with service providers. The effects of trauma are felt across the life span.

According to a Canadian study, PTSD is “associated with several physical health problems including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, chronic pain conditions, gastrointestinal illness and cancer” (2007). It is important to recognize that experiences of trauma can have negative effects on a person’s health, regardless of a diagnosis of PTSD. This further supports the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study that identified the direct connection between adverse childhood experiences and the increase in serious physical and mental health problems (1998).

The ACE study identified that the more adverse the experience, the greater the increase in risk for the following:

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Depression

Fetal death

Health-related quality of life

Illicit drug use

Ischemic heart disease (IHD)

Liver disease

Risk for intimate partner violence

Multiple sexual partners

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Smoking

Suicide attempts

Unintended pregnancies

Early initiation of smoking

Early initiation of sexual activity

Adolescent pregnancy

Emotional:

Depression

Feelings of despair, hopelessness and helplessness

Guilt

Shame

Self-blame

Self-hatred

Feeling damaged

Feeling like a “bad” person

Anxiety

Extreme vulnerability the effects of trauma

Panic attacks

Fearfulness

Compulsive and obsessive behaviours

Feeling out of control

Irritability, anger and resentment

Emotional numbness

Frightening thoughts

Difficulties in relationships

Behavioural:

Self-harm such as cutting

Substance abuse

Alcohol abuse

Gambling

Self-destructive behaviours

Isolation

Choosing friends that may be unhealthy

Suicidal behaviour

Violence and aggression toward others

Cognitive:

Memory lapses, especially about the trauma

Loss of time

Being flooded by and overwhelmed with recollections of the trauma

Difficulty making decisions

Decreased ability to concentrate

Feeling distracted

Withdrawal from normal routine

Thoughts of suicide

Spiritual:

Feeling that life has little purpose and meaning

Questioning the presence of a power greater than ourselves

Questioning one’s purpose

Questioning “Who am I,” “Where am I going,” “Do I really matter”

Thoughts of being evil, especially when abuse is perpetrated by Clergy

Feeling disconnected from the world around us

Feeling that as well as themselves, the whole race or culture is bad

Neurobiological:

An overproduction of stress hormones that do not return to normal after being activated, and can endure for hours or days in ways identified below:

Jittery, trembling,

Exaggerated startle response

Alarm system in the brain remains “on,” creating difficulty in reading faces and social cues, misinterpreting other people’s behaviour or events as threatening, difficulty sleeping, avoiding situations that are perceived as frightening

Part of the brain systems change by becoming smaller or bigger than they are supposed to be

Fight, flight, freeze response (which may look different from person to person)

Responses are involuntary

Relational:

Difficulty feeling love, trusting in relationships

Decreased interest in sexual activity the effects of trauma

Emotional distancing from others

Relationships may be characterized by anger and mistrust

Unable to maintain relationships

Parenting difficulties

It should also be noted that there are overlaps between the categories.